Why is RJ Barrett's contract viewed as ‘toxic asset’ after Knicks trade? Latest report explored

Canadian national team member RJ Barrett is finally playing for the NBA's lone representative from Canada, the Toronto Raptors. They struck a surprising deal with the New York Knicks to end the year, with the Knicks acquiring OG Anunoby, someone their president Leon Rose thinks has a "complete offensive game."

However, the trade seemed more than just about Barrett returning to his home province of Ontario and Rose preferring Anunoby's offensive prowess over Barrett.

In his The Lowe Post Podcast, ESPN's Zach Lowe said that some front-office people believe the Knicks went for a huge salary dump by trading away Barrett, a 'toxic asset':

“I’ve always said if there’s a continuum of RJ Barrett optimism and pessimism—and over here on the pessimistic side is like, ‘He just stinks, he’s a toxic asset.’ And that is a word that got thrown around yesterday in my conversations with front office people and coaches—toxic asset."

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RJ Barrett's contract explored

RJ Barrett just signed a four-year, $107 million contract to seemingly stay with the New York Knicks.

While an 18.2 points per game average seems good enough for someone fresh from giving Canada a bronze medal in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Barrett's efficient field goal percentage of 47.8 is the worst among the Knicks' key contributors.

Barrett was shooting 42.3 percent from the field including a dismal 33.1 percent from the 3-point range. With Rose thinking Anunoby could be an upgrade in terms of offensive efficiency, the Knicks decided to offer Barrett to the Raptors for him.

Now the trade is complete, Barrett, a native of Mississauga, which is part of Toronto's metropolitan area, gets to play for his hometown.

However, that also means that the Raptors should begin to wonder if Barrett is worth the remainder of his $107 million deal, which includes a $29.6 million salary for the entire 2026-27 season, the final year of his contract.

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Toronto Raptors win on RJ Barrett's debut

At least on New Year's Day, the Toronto Raptors felt like they got some benefits from the RJ Barrett-OG Anunoby trade.

The Toronto Raptors prevailed in their first game with Barrett, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-121. Barrett did pretty well on his Raptors debut, scoring 19 points on 50 percent shooting, nine rebounds and one assist.

However, he also had five turnovers, which means he still needs to learn much more about the Toronto Raptors' system.